U of W students pass controversial referendum to boycott Israel

Jake De Jong, vice-president of academic affairs for the University of Windsor Student Alliance, shown Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014, in his office in the UWSA, which was vandalized. The student association at the U of W is in the middle of a controversial referendum and many think it is related. (TYLER BROWNBRIDGE/The Windsor Star)

Passage of a controversial University of Windsor student referendum to boycott Israel has sparked safety concerns for some Jewish students on campus, as well as complaints that have prompted an investigation of the vote by the school’s administration.

“I think the referendum will just lead to a more hostile environment on campus,” said David, a Jewish University of Windsor student who only wanted to give his first name for safety reasons.

The referendum asked students whether to support the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, a campaign aimed at creating economic sanctions against Israel and boycotting companies, products, academic institutions and any other group with ties to the Israeli state.

Rob Crawford, University of Windsor Students’ Alliance president, said 798 students voted in favour of the referendum and 585 students voted against it. The university has about 14,000 undergraduate students.

Crawford said Saturday he didn’t want to comment on the controversial issue.

“I need to wrap my head around everything,” said Crawford after the votes were tallied. He wasn’t available for comment Sunday.

David, 28, said the referendum’s passage means Jewish students on campus “better just keep low” because they can’t safely express their political views.

“Unfortunately, the University of Windsor is not a safe place for Jewish students anymore,” said David. “I don’t think I am in immediate physical danger, but it’s just not an easy environment to be a Jew on campus, especially when you are a vocal supporter of Israel.”

The issue landed on a referendum ballot at the university after the student Palestinian Solidarity Group called for it in November.

Mohammed Almoayad, president of group, said the University of Windsor has made history by passing the referendum.

“Most other students unions that have passed it have been just through their council student representatives, and they get criticized for not being open and democratic and not allowing students themselves to say what they think about such a contentious issue,” Almoayad said Saturday. “So we let all students voice their concerns on this issue, and so we feel that it makes a stronger statement. So we’re very proud.”

David said there were students who were afraid to vote No to the referendum after an incident on campus Thursday that police described as a hate crime.

Jake De Jong, vice-president of academic affairs for the student alliance, arrived at his office Thursday – the morning students were to begin voting in a referendum – to find it turned inside out. On a Support Our Troops flag hanging in his office, someone also spray painted the Star of David and the word Zionist.

The act has received condemnation from Windsor police and the Windsor Jewish Community Centre.

University president Alan Wildeman released a statement about the referendum on Facebook Sunday.

“We are receiving complaints that are raising questions about the referendum process,” said Wildeman. He said a full investigation is being launched to look into the complaints.

“We’ve had a lot of concerns about the process and what the implications of the outcome of it might mean and we’re just going to look into those right now,” Wildeman told The Star Sunday evening. “Until such time that we’ve had a chance to really do an investigation, I’m not going to disclose any details.”

Wildeman said the process going forward is for the UWSA council to discuss the outcome of the referendum.

“And I don’t know exactly what the nature of that conversation will be,” said Wildeman.

Wildeman said after “a lot of complaints” were expressed, he released the statement to let the community know the university is taking the complaints seriously.

“The University of Windsor will be uncompromising in its commitment to continue to be a place that is welcoming and safe for all students,” Wildeman said in his statement. “The university will not tolerate any practices, by any member or group of its community, that target specific individuals or entities on the basis of ethnicity, nationality, religion, or any other personal characteristic.”

Leading up to the vote, David, who is a member of VOTE NO to BDS at UWindsor – a student group that campaigned against the boycott – said it was difficult for opponents to get their point across to students because their campaigning kept getting disrupted.

“Any poster we put up, five minutes later it was gone,” said David.

David said the vote was close and since it was 57 per cent of students who voted in favour of the boycott and 42 per cent who voted against, there was not that much more support for the boycott.

But Almoayad said more than 200 students is a significant margin.

“The students clearly care about this issue,” said Almoayad.

The referendum is a first step toward ending Israel’s violation of international law, and shows solidarity, he said.

“University of Windsor actually was one of the first universities in Canada to divest from the apartheid regime in the late 80s, so we were really involved in social justice issues like that, so we totally thought this would be something that students would be interested in,” said Almoayad. “And the fact that they voted in favour of it obviously means students on the campus are interested in it.”

David said he planned to stay in Windsor to do his masters degree but has now reconsidered.

“I don’t want to be part of a university that endorses such a campaign and creates a hostile environment,” said David. “With this BDS campaign, you don’t feel safe if you have a kippah or even a T-shirt with Hebrew letters on it. Jewish students do not feel safe here anymore and we have to watch our backs when we walk around our campus.”

Wildeman said further details about complaints about the referendum will be made public as the investigation unfolds.

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